Punjab: Narco-terror racket busted, two arrested in Amritsar

Accused Sukhjit Singh of Fatehpur and Ranbir Singh of Anngarh are hawala operators who facilitated transactions linked to drug trafficking, say police

Busting a narco-terror racket, the Amritsar rural police arrested two hawala operators and seized ₹17.6 lakh and $4,000 ( ₹3.47 lakh) from their possession, Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Sunday. Those arrested have been identified as Sukhjit Singh, a resident of Fatehpur, and Ranbir Singh, a resident of Anngarh in Amritsar. A laptop containing crucial transaction records has also been seized, the police said.

The cash seized from those arrested in Amritsar on Sunday.

The arrests were made amid interrogation of Gursahib Singh and Jaswant Singh who were caught near Hardo Ratan village while carrying 561-gm heroin on Friday, said deputy inspector general of police (DIG), border range, Satinder Singh. Addressing a press conference, he said that during the ongoing investigation, the arrested men exposed their links with hawala operators Sukhjit and Ranbir besides other drug supply chains. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the arrested men were facilitating illegal transactions linked to drug trafficking, he said.

The DIG said that further investigations are ongoing to establish backward and forward linkages in this case. More arrests and recoveries are likely in coming days, he added.

Maninder Singh, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Amritsar rural, said that acting on credible information, a police team apprehended the hawala operators from India Gate in Chheherta. In this regard, an FIR dated March 14 has already been registered under Sections 21-C, 25 and 29 of the NDPS Act at the Gharindha police station.

According to the police, since the commencement of a special campaign — Yudh Nashian Virudh — from March 1, 337 drug smugglers have been arrested after registeration of 192 cases under the NDPS Act in Amritsar border range districts. As much as 41-kg heroin, 1-kg ICE, ₹26 lakh and $4,000 (US dollars), six motorcycles, nine four-wheelers and 21 mobile phones have been seized, the police added.

62 peddlers arrested in a week in Sangrur

Sangrur As many as 62 individuals have been arrested after registering 42 cases related to drug trafficking from March 8 to 14, the Sangrur police said on Sunday. The police have seized 164-gm heroin, 115-gm marijuana, 350-gm narcotic powder, 5,530 pills, 14 bottles of narcotic syrup, 2-kg poppy husk, 29.5-kg raw poppy plants and ₹1,87,010 in drug money.

Besides, two persons were arrested for illicit liquor trade, leading to seizure of 29,250 liters of country-made liquor, the police said. SSP Chahal said officials held meetings in 44 villages and towns to create awareness among youth against drugs.